In the latest update to the shocking
Criminal Minds casting shakeup, a source clarifies to
Deadline.com, which originally broke the news, that the decision to cut A.J. Cook and reduce the episodes of Paget Brewster are "creative" decisions and are not financial in nature.
'Criminal Minds' Spin-off Finally Gets 'Suspect' NameNeedless to say,
Criminal Minds fans are up in arms over the development, with
a petition list urging CBS to change its mind regarding the season 6 futures of Cook, who plays Jennifer Jareau, and Brewster, who plays Emily Prentiss, on
Criminal Minds.
Joe Mantegna
tweeted a link to it yesterday, while both Kirsten Vangsness and Thomas Gibson retweeted it.
Negotiations are reportedly ongoing for Brewster to formally remain as a regular but not appear in every episode. Cook, meanwhile, is working out a deal to return for a few episodes to wrap up JJ's storyline.
The decision leaves Vangsness as the only full-time female cast member, plus Mantegna, Gibson, Shemar Moore and Matthew Gray Gubler. The largely male ensemble has put a sexist slant to the whole thing. Says the petition list, for instance:
"It is a travesty of modern society that a network would make such a blatantly sexist decision. Everywhere in the world, women are devalued for getting married, for taking our husbands' surnames, for having children, or for having only female children and no male children, or for simply being women...the list is long."
Intended to "refresh a veteran drama series," the shakeup may add a new female character later on next season to fill the void left by Cook.
(Image courtesy of CBS)